Grammar and Language Structure: Sandhi, Samas, Karak, Verb Forms and Transformation
Grammar and language structure in the Santali paper covers sandhi (sound junction), samas (compounding), karak (case relations), verb forms, and sentence transformation. The exam expects Santali categories, not Bengali ones copied over.
Core rules
- Sandhi: when two elements join, a vowel may be elided, lengthened or glide. Identify the two underlying parts first, then state the change. Do not apply Bengali sandhi rules mechanically.
- Samas: a compound is a single word made of two or more stems. Decide which stem is the head and what relation the other bears (possessive, descriptive, appositional).
- Karak: Santali marks case with suffixes, not prepositions. Learn the common markers: -ke (object/dative), -ren (genitive), -te/-re (locative/instrumental), -khon (ablative, from). The nominative is usually unmarked.
- Verb forms: Santali verbs agree with the subject and often with the object; tense and aspect are marked by suffixes. Watch person, number and inclusive/exclusive distinctions.
- Transformation: affirmative↔negative, statement↔question, direct↔indirect, singular↔plural, and case-based rewording. Change only what the instruction names.
Worked example
Illustrative gloss: gidra-ke 'to/for the child' - the suffix -ke marks the object or recipient. If asked to turn 'The mother called the child' into a form with the object marked, attach -ke to 'child' and keep the verb's agreement. If the verb changes, check that object agreement still matches.
Traps
Adding a case suffix to a word that is already marked; confusing -te and -khon; forgetting object agreement when transforming a sentence; inventing a sandhi rule that does not apply in Santali; changing word order unnecessarily in an SOV language.